Dish mop



July 21, 1942. s sTElNMETZ ET AL 2,290,216

DISH'MOP Filed Feb. 6, 1941 JUM- a? ATTORNEY 4. i i i I Patented July 21, 1942 DISH MOP Samuel Steinmetz and Isaac E. Schine, Bridgeport, Conn.

Application February 6, 1941, Serial No. 377,598

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improvement in dish mops, and has for an object to provide such a device which can be conveniently and economically constructed from sponge rubber or similar material, which will provide a water reservoir of relatively large capacity, and in which the sponge rubber is at all times held under a degree of tension, so that in engaging surfaces to be cleaned the mop head has suflicient stiffness to effectually remove dirt while at the same time it is sufficiently soft and resilient not to mar or scratch the surface to be cleaned.

It is further proposed to provide a mob head in which the sponge rubber is so cut that it presents a plurality of sections each having relatively sharp out edges, and which edges are arranged in substantially spiral form so that they provide sharp dirt-removing edges disposed in substantially all directions, these edges being separated by divergent spaces through which the removed dirt flows away from the rubber surface of the mops head.

It is a further object to provide a mop head of this character which may be formed from a single strip of sponge rubber.

With the above'and other objects in View, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a dish mop, according to the exemplary illustrated embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the strip of sponge rubber employed in constructing the mop head according to the invention.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the strip of sponge rubber wound into spiral form, and engaged at its contracted central portion by a wire loop member, preliminary to the tightening to the loop member to form the mop head.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the parts as shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a vertical section of the view of the mop head taken along the line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing the dish mop, according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated therein, comprises a mop head formed of sponge rubber or similar material, and of generally circular form in plan and of generally oval form in side view, this head being formed of a strip of sponge rubber I 0 of substantially rectangular form, provided at its under-surface with an integral rubber skin I I, this skin being the common surface formation of a strip of sponge rubber, which is retained as one surface of the strip employed in the present invention, while the other surfaces are cut surfaces, so that the porous sponge structure is exposed. The strip is preferably somewhat wider as shown in Fig. 3, than its thickness as shown in Fig. 4, and at each end is out into tapered or rounded form as at I 2-I 2. Along each side of the strip there is provided a series of spaced parallel cuts l3, which extend between the upper and lower surfaces and extend inwardly from the side surfaces to a point sufficiently removed from the center line to provide an uncut area along the central portion of the strip.

In forming the strip into mop head form it is first wound into a spiral as shown in Fig. 5, the skin surface I I being disposed inwardly and providing a relatively strong support for the strip about which the spiral winding may be made with facility. In winding the strip is sharply bent at one end, so that the rounded end I2 at this end nests within the central portion of the head as a core, while the rounded end I2 at the other end will be disposed upon the outer surface and through its tapered shape will tend to press into and conform to the adjacent outwardly disposed surface of the wound strip. Due to the fact that the central portion of the strip is uncut the spiral winding will cause this central portion to become contracted with respect to the cut edge portions, and these latter portions will through the pressure at the center tend to curve outwardly toward the periphery to the head and inwardly toward each other.

The wound strip is engaged within a wire loop member I4 which is engaged with its contracted central portion, this loop member having its ends I5 projected outwardly in divergent relation. These ends are thereupon twisted together and this twisting action causes the wire loop to become contracted about the central portion of the strip causing the outer cut portions to curve toward each other until they meet as shown in Fig. 7, the loop at the same time becoming deeply embedded and concealed within the head so that it is completely protected against contact with surfaces being cleaned. Fig. 7 illustrates clearly the manner in which the spirally wound strip becomes tensioned at its cut end portions, which end portions curve toward each other to impart to the mop head a generally rounded shape, the spiral winding of the strip at the same time causing the cut sections between the cuts l3 to assume a swirling form so that the edges of the cuts are disposed in all directions, the swirling edges provide effective cleaning surfaces, being resiliently supported bythe tensioned strip portions and having flared spaces between them, so that as dirt is removed through engagement of the edge this dirt will flow inwardly through the spaces and will tend to flow away from the outer surfaces of the mop head.

The twisted wire ends I 5 are engaged in a socket end [6, provided in the end of a handle member I1. While the mop may be advantageously used for various cleaning purposes it is especially effective in the washing of glass tumblers, cups, and the like.

We have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory embodiments of the invention, but it will be understood that changes may be made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a dish mop, a handle member, and a mop head secured thereto comprising a strip of sponge rubber of substantially rectangular cross-section, the upper and lower surfaces of said strip being relatively narrower than the side surfaces, said strip having a series of spaced slits extending from its upper and lower surfaces a substantially equal distance toward each other along its sides, the intermediate portion of said strip being unslitted, said strip being wound longitudinally into substantially spiral form with said slit portions exposed in the upper and lower surfaces, and a constricted loop member engaged and tightened centrally about the intermediate unslit portion of said spirally wound strip compressing and constricting it and flexing the slit upper and lower portions toward each other at the periphery of said head in the coincident plane of said constricting loop member, the thickness of said strip between its side surface being such with respect to its length and its thickness between its upper and lower surfaces that as the exposed outer side surfaces of the spirally wound strip are constricted at its central unslit portion said exposed outer side surfaces above and below said loop member fold upon themselves while the upper and lower slit surfaces each form a rounded domed surface from the central axis of said head to the meeting edges of said exposed outer side surfaces and provide upon the surface of said head a series of four-sided convexly rounded sponge rubber areas separated from each other by said slits, the slits contiguous to the meeting edges of said side surfaces being of divergent form toward said meeting edges.

2. In a dish mop, a handle member, and a mop head secured thereto comprising a strip of sponge rubber having upper and lower and side surfaces, said strip having a series of spaced slits extending from its upper and lower surfaces along its sides, the intermediate portion of said strip being unslitted, said strip being wound longitudinally into substantially spiral form with said slit portions exposed in the upper and lower surfaces, and a constricted loop member engaged and tightened centrally about the intermediate unslit portion of said spirally wound strip compressing and constricting it and flexin the slit upper and lower portions toward each other at the periphery of said head in the coincident plane of said constricting loop member, the thickness of said strip between its side surfaces being such with respect to its length and its thickness between its upper and lower surfaces that as the exposed outer side surfaces of the spirally wound strip are constricted at its central unslit portion said exposed outer side surfaces above and below said loop member fold upon themselves while the upper and lower slit surfaces each form a rounded domed surface from the central axis of said head to the meeting edges of said exposed outer side surfaces and provide upon the surface of said head a series of four-sided convexly rounded sponge rubber areas separated from each other by said slits, the slits contiguous to the meeting edges of said side surfaces being of divergent form toward said meeting edges.

SAMUEL STEINMETZ. ISAAC E. SCHINE. 

